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Musings, rants and raves on the world of shopping carts and e-commerce, fortified with related business, legal and economic news, as well as announcements about my work on Zen Cart. Brought to you by That Software Guy.

Month: March 2009

It’s something my friends and I love to do – just hang around a mall all day long, going from shop to shop, taking in the sights and sounds of other shoppers, and having a great day out. But I must admit that I’m a closet online shopper too – I find as much pleasure in scouring the Internet for deals as I do when I’m out on the streets. And if push came to shove and I was asked to choose between online shopping and the real thing, I would say that the former has a slight edge over the latter, simply because:

It’s the best way to buy presents for people who live far away: It’s pretty simple when you can provide one billing address and another shipping address to shop for loved ones who live in different cities. You can buy them stuff from online stores and have them ship the product directly to them. And very often, if you plan your purchase in advance and choose ground shipping, you get your gift shipped free of cost.

It beats battling weather conditions: If you’ve ever shopped during intense heat waves with buckets of sweat pouring down your back or during cold fronts where the snow creeps up your shoes and forms wet slush, you’ll definitely appreciate the comfort of shopping from a climate-controlled room, with a hot cup of coffee (or a cold beer) beside you.

You have greater variety: Yeah, you can shop all over the country, without having to spend an additional penny or travelling an inch from where you are. All you need is the time and the patience to search the Internet for the best deals and greatest collections when you’re looking for a particular item.

You get great rebates: Some offers are only available online – besides the coupons and deals, you also get mail-in rebates that sometimes take half the price off the product.

You’re contributing to saving the planet: Now I’m not a green freak or an environmentalist, but what I do know is that I prefer a clean world to live in, one that does not involve climate change and global warming. So I’m happy to do what I can to reduce the use of fossil fuel – the less I use my car, the less I’m polluting the environment.

This guest post was contributed by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of the top online college. She invites your feedback at hollymccarthy12 at gmail dot com